Presidents of the United States of America quirky as ever at Santa Ana set

Chris Ballew of the Presidents of the United States of America performs at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER

Near the end of their set Wednesday night at the Observatory in Santa Ana, the Presidents of the United States of America offered up first-album cut “We’re Not Going to Make It” without any sense of irony.

In the song, singer and "basitarist" Chris Ballew, who plays only two strings, provides a laundry list of reasons why the Seattle trio would fail, including lack of talent and skill, competition from other bands, not having the time, and poor rhyming ability.

Nearly two decades later, it’s tempting to view the song as prophetic: a doomed prediction from a doomed band that after selling more than 3 million copies of their debut would disband within three years, spending the rest of their career in a cycle of comebacks, brief stretches of renewed interest, and breakups.

But anyone in attendance Wednesday night would likely argue differently. A near-capacity crowd sang along to every word of the Presidents' 1995 left-field success, a quirky antidote to grunge's infection of the mainstream at the time, akin in spirit (if not sound) to Barenaked Ladies' word-of-mouth debut success Gordon from a few years earlier. There was no insecurity among these fans, no fear of being judged or laughed at – just the thrill of seeing one of their favorite bands playing some of their favorite songs.

Ask any band: most would consider that the epitome of “making it.”

If the concert proved anything, though, besides the revelation that Orange County is home to around 800 POTUSA diehards, it's that very little middleground exists when it comes to the trio's absurd, irreverent brand of comedy-rock.

The night provided an opportunity to see their cult classic performed in its entirety, yet in a clever flip of the script, the band decided to save that for the second half of the set, opening instead with a series of songs from other albums. And still most on-hand displayed bright, elated faces as the outfit (still anchored by founding drummer Jason Finn) made its way through “Tiki God” and “Volcano,” both from gold-certified 1996 follow-up II, while the few that held a more passing familiarity suerly wondered if they were mistaken about the night’s promised agenda.

For their part, the Presidents kept things spirited, pogoing across the stage at every vocal break, Ballew and new-ish “guitbassist” Andrew McKeag (he uses three strings) often meeting center-stage to strike rehearsed rock star poses and share a quick laugh. From Ballew’s hyperactive between-song banter to McKeag’s unfailing laughter at each joke, little of the show felt unrehearsed.

Whether or not that's a good thing is debatable. For example, the main set’s final number, “Naked and Famous,” wrapped with the tried-and-true trick of controlled noise blasts, with Ballew shouting “sock it to me two times” and the band rhythmically blasting two shots of noise while the crowd counted along vocally. The numbers increased to three, four, five ... and then to incongruous amounts that didn’t fit any pattern: 13 made the audience laugh, 17 even more so.

In an attempt to take the gag to its extreme, Ballew began a mock-auction for what number of “sock it to me’s” to do as a finale. The winning total: 123. The band complied, though the audience no longer counting aloud. Yet they couldn't not count, either. As the band rapidly hammered mini-noise explosions, the faces around the room displayed the mental math taking place, some slightly moving their lips to keep track of where the band was on their quest. The eventual ovation was massive, the band seemingly succeeding in hitting the proposed amount.

But, to the casual observer, the gag presupposed a blind faith, a willingness to follow these guys into any scenario with the abandon of seeking a good time. And for all the mimed enthusiasm from the set, the repeated pleas to buy merchandise, situated next to the stage and adorned with bright spotlights, hinted that the band really could use the T-shirt money at this point. Desperation is never flattering; the Presidents run the risk of coming off precisely that way.

Regardless, any question about how history views the band, and whether or not “they made it,” was swept aside in an encore that provided a new song – the band promised more of those if fans would “please” sign up for their mailing list – as well as favorite “Froggie” and their cover of “Video Killed the Radio Star,” made famous in the early days of MTV by the Buggles.

Hearing a classic the band didn't write (another was their send-up of the MC5's "Kick Out the Jams" earlier in the set) succeeded in bringing the crowd together for an undeniable moment. Whether they did that consistently throughout the show is less likely.

Chris Ballew of the Presidents of the United States of America performs at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
The Presidents of the United States of America perform at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
The Presidents of the United States of America perform at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Chris Ballew of the Presidents of the United States of America performs at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Eternal Summers opens for the Presidents at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Eternal Summers opens for the Presidents at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Eternal Summers opens for the Presidents at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Fans on the barricade have fun during the Presidents of the United States of America's set at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Orange County fans pose for a photo before seeing the Presidents of the United States of America at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Chris Ballew of the Presidents of the United States of America performs at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
The Presidents of the United States of America perform at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
The Presidents of the United States of America perform at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Chris Ballew of the Presidents of the United States of America performs at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
The Presidents of the United States of America perform at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Jason Finn of the Presidents of the United States of America performs at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
Andrew McKeag of the Presidents of the United States of America performs at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER
The Presidents of the United States of America perform at the Observatory Wednesday. KELLY A. SWIFT, FOR THE REGISTER

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